Hounslow fare-dodger freed

A fare dodger who battered a train station manager and said he would ‘make sure his wife did not recognise him’ walked free from court yesterday.

Wokciech Slusarczyk, 29, of Hounslow, denied the assault in June, claiming self-defence, but was found guilty following a trial at Blackfriars crown court.

Judge Jane Sullivan decided against jailing him, and instead imposed a 12-month community order with 100 hours’ unpaid work.

The victim, Mario Jenkins, 43, was helping a colleague settle a dispute with Slusarczyk over a train fare at Liverpool Street station when he was set upon. Slusarczyk, followed him to a private office, knocked him to the ground and punched him repeatedly in the face, smashing his head onto the concrete floor.

The court heard that Jenkins feared he would die until security guards rushed to his aid.

Mr Jenkins was shocked when the sentence passed. He said: “I’m not happy about this at all. When he was found guilty, the judge told me he’d get a custodial sentence.

“What message does this send out? That people can get away with attacking civil servants?

“I have been doing this job for 25 years and I always give 110 per cent customer service. This attack has affected me very badly. At one point I could not sleep.